Kgyptian

Tli<' mythical personage after whom the Hermetic philosophy was named. In Egypt the God Thoth or Thot. A generic name of many ancient Greek writers on philosophy and Alchemy. Hermes Trismegistus is the name of Hermes or Thoth in his human aspect, as a god he is far more than this. .l.s- Hermes-Thoth-Aah, lie is Thoth. the moon, i.e., his symbol is the bright side of the moon, supposed to contain the essence of creative Wisdom, "the elixir of Hermes". As sucli lie is 130 TJIKi).S()l'JIKAL associated with tin- I'ynoci'jilialus. the (lojr-licadi'il inoiikoy. for tlio sann^ reason as was Aiiuhis, one of tlie aspi'fts of Thotli. (See "Ilcnnamibis",) The same idea underlies tlie form of the Hindu God of Wisdom, the elephaut-lieaded Ganesa. or Ganpat, the son of Parvati and Siva. (See "Ganesa".) When lie has the head of an ibis, he is the sacred seribe of the gods; but t'ven then he wears the erown aiff and the luiuir disk. He is the most mysterious of {^ods. As a serpent. Hermes Thoth is the diviiH' ert-ative Wisdom. The Church P^athers sjxmU ;it length of Thoth-Hermes. (See "Hermetic".)